Instead, pretty much every camp recommends eating whole, minimally processed, nutrient-rich foods. And that may be one of the most important nutrition interventions of all, regardless of the protein, carb, and fat breakdowns.

3. THEY HELP ELIMINATE NUTRIENT DEFICIENCIES.

In keeping with the last point, the best nutritional advocates help us shift away from highly processed foods, which are often low in nutrients because they’ve been stripped out during processing, and toward more whole, minimally processed foods, which often have their nutrients intact.

Thus, a properly designed diet of any kind eliminates some of the most commonnutrient deficiencies (water, certain vitamins and minerals, proteins, and essential fatty acids).

This is huge. We often look, feel, and perform terribly when we’re deficient in important nutrients. But within a few weeks of correcting these deficiencies, we feel totally rejuvenated. (And because the transformation is so dramatic, that’s often when we become diet zealots.)

4. THEY HELP CONTROL APPETITE AND FOOD INTAKE.

When we’re more aware of what we’re eating, choose more satisfying, higher quality foods, and eliminate nutrient deficiencies, we almost always end up eating less total food. We feel more satisfied. We lose fat, gain lean muscle, and perform better.

Notice that you don’t need calorie counting here. Focusing on food awareness and food quality is usually enough for people to tune into their own hunger and appetite. And that means calorie control without the annoying calorie math.

It also means more sustainability since counting calories has a shelf-life. No one does it forever.

5. THEY PROMOTE REGULAR EXERCISE.

When people start paying attention to their eating, they usually start thinking about physical activity too. In fact, many of the diet camps recommend regular exercise. (Which is a good idea, since focusing on diet alone may actually interfere with establishing a consistent exercise routine.)

When a person exercises regularly, with a mix of high and low intensity activity, they dramatically improve their ability to turn the food they eat – whatever food that is – into functional tissue (instead of extra fat).

You can now understand how different well-designed dietary philosophies – even when they seem oppositional and antagonistic on the surface – can all promote good health, body composition, and longevity.

Which is why …

Choosing a single diet camp makes no sense.

1. THERE’S NO SUCH THING AS ONE, UNIVERSAL “BEST” DIET.

There’s no one absolutely, positively, without-a-doubt best diet for everyone. Humans have evolved to do well under all sorts of dietary conditions.

That’s why I’m happy to help people find the best one for them, no matter their dietary preferences.

Of course, this is a big win for my clients: They get in shape doing more of the things they actually like. And a win for me: I get to help more people.

2. MOST POPULAR DIETS ACTUALLY HAVE A LOT IN COMMON.

Most popular diets — when done with care, attention, and a little coaching — help control appetite, improve food quality, promote exercise, and raise nutritional awareness.

3. COACHES SHOULD NEVER LOCK INTO A SINGLE PHILOSOPHY.

In the last 5 years alone, our team has helped 20,000 clients lose over 300,000 pounds of body fat and develop a new relationship with food.

And we’ve done that without forcing a specific diet philosophy on them. Vegans can stay vegan. Paleos can stay Paleo. And they’ve all had success.

Coaches: Don’t waste energy bullying people into a particular way of eating.

4. HABIT-BASED COACHING IS BETTER THAN DIET-BASED COACHING ANYWAY.

Long-term nutrition habits trump diet plans and “rules”. Always.

We prefer a nutritional progression model (which builds habits intelligently and sustainably over time) versus asking people to “follow a diet” (which means doing a full lifestyle overhaul on Day One).

For more on this particular approach, which I call “habit-based coaching”, check out this short article.

So, the best diet to follow actually is …

… the one that’s best for you.

If you want to follow a Paleo diet, I can help with that.

I can also help out if you’re vegan, prefer to eat more carbs (or less), are on a tight budget, or only eat organic / free range artisan foods.

But, really, what I’d like you to follow is what I call “precision nutrition”.

Let me listen to your needs. What you want to accomplish. How you live. What’s really important to you. Then let me help you create the right dietary approach for you; one that’s specific to your goals and your lifestyle.

Because that’s what coaching really is.

Diet gurus are in this game to get attention, make a scene, and get on TV. That’s why they try to force people into following strict and largely unnecessary nutrition rules — demonizing some foods, deifying others.

Sure, it sells books. It gives good TV. But we all know how things turn out when real people try to follow these rules in real life.

The best coaches, on the other hand, are actually responsible for (and accountable to) their clients. They’re paid to get results. This totally changes the game.

That’s why I don’t really have a diet philosophy. Instead, I have a personal coaching process.

One that helps clients find the best diet for them. One that takes into account their small (but still important) physical and biochemical differences. And one that takes into account their lifestyle differences, including:

family

life demands

stress level

work situation

income level

climate

environmental pollutants

food availability

cooking experience and knowledge

time availability for fitness

physical activity

and so on …

No, it’s not as clean and clear as “avoid meat” or “eat like a caveman”.

But I believe it’s the only sane and rational approach.

It also happens to be the only approach that actually works in the long run.

John Berardi, PhD, is a founder of Precision Nutrition and sits on the health and performance advisory boards of Nike, Titleist, and Equinox.